King of Evil
by KitKatKins
Summary: N has defeated Black, and Unova is under his control. Two years later, a rebellion breaks out. With Anthea's help, will Team Plasma survive, or will N's castle come crashing down?  Based off of the Series of Evil. No Shippings. Rated T to be safe.
1. Sage of Evil

**Author's Note:** Here goes my newest crossover! There are four parts to the series, most of them based off of a song in the reverse adaptation of the Series of Evil. (i.e. Prince of Evil) This first part explains what happens directly after N would defeat Black in the final battle. I don't like how it turned out, but the next parts are much better. I don't think it's completely accurate, but this makes sense for the direction the fanfic is going. It starts out with Black's POV, and then N's, both in third person.

It should be noted in this fanfiction that Concordia is considered N's foster mother and teacher, and Anthea his foster sister and servant. Black (Hilbert) and White (Hilda) are twins. In Black and White, the games, I say 10 years have passed since Heart Gold and Soul Silver. N also got the dragon Zekrom while Black got Reshiram, so it's based off of Black more than White.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own or are affiliated with Pokémon, Vocaloid, or any of the songs this fanfiction is based off of.

* * *

><p><strong>Sage of Evil<strong>

**Part 1 of the King of Evil Series**

"Well done," Black looked away from his defeated Samorott behind him, where a man entered the room. The man wore a yellow-and-purple robe, and had long, green-gray hair. It was Ghetsis, congratulating the winner of the battle.

"Thank you, Father." Another young man with green hair stood up a little straighter at one of Ghetsis's rare compliments. The black dragon beside him snorted, as if also acknowledging the compliment.

"Anyone could have defeated this… commoner. He never would have stood a chance against the king of Team Plasma, now nearly the king of Unova, even with the legendary Reshiram on his side," Ghetsis smirked.

Black, anger echoing in his voice, whispered, "Samorott. Return." The water-type converted into red energy as Black took out his Poké ball, and was transferred into the red-and-white sphere.

"Now, what should with do with this troublesome one?" Ghetsis wondered out loud as he approached Black, "What do you think, my lord N?" he asked, looking to his son, "You deserve to decide."

N paused, not wanting to lose the moment of pride Ghetsis had in him. "Why don't we let him go, and start out our reign fresh, without brutality?" N knew what happened when Ghetsis acted like this. N hoped Cheren and Alder would come soon enough, or Black would be tortured, and almost surely killed. But why would Ghetsis do this, when the reason they were doing all of this was to create peace?

Ghetsis's slight smile faded. As he walked closer to N, Black took this opportunity to white out. Ghetsis, unlike N, didn't flinch as he hit the hard, stone floor.

"You want to let him go, after all of the trouble he cause me—I mean, us? He was the only thing keeping you from your dream, N. Without him Pokémon would have those many more weeks of freedom."

"Black… I know why. He…was different."

"Different?" Ghetsis laughed out cruelly. "How was he different than any other trainer out there? Did he, maybe 'care', or maybe did your precious Pokémon say he was, 'different?"

N was shocked. That was exactly how he felt about Black. He hadn't told anyone but his Pokémon friends. How could Ghetsis possibly know?

"He did battle with his Pokémon, N. And you know what continuous battling does to Pokémon, didn't you?"

N hesitantly nodded. He knew only too well what happened to Pokémon that were battlers. Spending his life with them, playing with them, comforting them, N knew that there weren't just scars and bruises on the outside. No, there were also on the inside.

"Don't you think he should be punished for all he did, N? Think carefully, now."

"No," N said simply, trying not to tremble.

"Fine," Ghetsis said, clearly holding back his anger. Here he was, inches away from his dream, inches from controlling Unova. Years of work were on the line, and his 'son' wanted to risk it all because of a stupid trainer? He couldn't allow it.

"I don't need your opinion. I can take care of him myself."

Ghetsis reached into his robe and pulled out two shining Poké balls, throwing them up into the air and letting the Pokémon come out as they hit the ground. The balls exploded open, and with a flash of red light, two Pokémon came out and dipped their heads.

"Bisharp," Ghetsis commanded the first one, "You hold N back."

The Pokémon once again dipped its head, and before N could react, restrained him.

"Hydreigon, you're coming with me." Ghetsis walked to where the unconscious Black was laying. N struggled in the Bisharp's grasp, whose razor-sharp ribs dug into his own.

"No! You can't do this!" He yelled as he looked to the legendary Zekrom, struggling in the Bisharp's razor grasp, "Do something! Stop him!"

"Zeeeeeee…" The Pokémon's generator tail started to spin as the blue light coming from it became more and more intense, preparing for an attack that would take great energy.

"Focus Blast!" Ghetsis commanded his Hydreigon. He knew the Zekrom wouldn't be able to attack fast enough, now before Black was only a distant memory.

But he was wrong.

"…kroooooooom!" The air exploded with a shock wave as Zekrom's attack was released, almost throwing the Bisharp to the ground. Static made N's hair stand on end as the generator was completely charged, making a large, blue bolt of electricity strike the ground where Ghetsis stood.

The Bisharp could no longer hold on, as its steel blades attracted enough of the bolt to make it faint. N was free, but his legs wouldn't let him move. He had flinched when the lighting struck, not seeing it hit the ground. He never entirely believed that it had happened, even years later, because it did not affect him in the least.

As soon is N's legs started to work again, he ran to the spot where a crumpled Ghetsis and Hydreigon lay, right beside a charred black spot of stone. As N came closer he became aware that Ghetsis's robe was smoldering, as if any provocation would make it engulf in flames. As he felt his neck, he could tell there was no pulse. Ghetsis was dead.

N noticed that Ghetsis looked oddly peaceful, but then again, didn't everyone when they passed? He had blinked only a second before the lighting made his heart stop, probably the last action he made. N stood up, and started to walk towards Black, his mind in a state of shock, when the Hydreigon's intelligent head lifted up, and it uncertainly started to hover back into the air.

N dismissed the creature for the moment; it was in much better shape than the two people in front of him. As he kneeled by Black, he could see his chest just barely moving up and down. How could Black possibly still be alive? Was it a miracle, or did Zekrom place the bolt in just the exact spot?

N's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a pair of frantic footsteps running down the hall. People had heard, and maybe even saw the flash, of what just happened. He started to panic, but his legs seemed to be disabled once again.

As the footsteps sounded right in front of the doorway, a frantic Cheren ran past the room, going too quickly to turn in time. As soon as he regained his footing, the boy ran straight to the two bodies lying on the ground.

"What did you do to him?" he yelled. N wasn't sure if he meant Black, Ghetsis, or both.

Alder soon flowed, visibly having a harder time running the whole way to this room. Panting, he looked to Black and Ghetsis, and then to N, with an unmistakable look in his eyes.

Could it be? It couldn't. But it was.

The Champion of Unova was deathly afraid of N.

"Take him," N started, barely finding a stable enough voice, "Take him, and don't come back. Not unless… you gather the citizens on Unova to the castle, and let me command them to release their Pokémon."


	2. Son of Evil

**Author's Note:** This part is closely based off of "Price of Evil", which I suggest you look up on YouTube if you haven't watched it already. This chapter is all from N's POV, and it's pretty long, but not the longest. So, enjoy.

**Edit: **For some reason all of the asterisks separating this chapter into parts were removed ._. I put lines in instead, so I hope it isn't nearly as confusing as it was before.

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><p><strong>Son of Evil<strong>

**Part 2 of the King of Evil Series**

In the throne room of his castle, N fumbled with a finished void cube in his hands, having nothing productive to do. Being king of Team Plasma was not the most entertaining job in the world, as there were so many grunts they did most everything for him. The only thing N had to do was to make the occasional decision. He had always imagined by the way Ghetsis told it, it would be much more exciting.

A light knock on the room's stone walls took N's attention as a figure stood by the room's entrance. "Concordia, come in," N said, setting the cube down beside him.

"I have some news for you, Natural," The figure sad as she came slowly closer, "Many members of Team Plasma are starting to complain."

"Complain?"

"Yes," Concordia confirmed, "We are running out of money, and wages have gone down. They have families to feed, too, Natural. Even we are having trouble keeping on budget." She patiently waited for N's answer, silently wishing she could make it for him.

"Well… I was thinking we could start a tax… I did the math, and if we set it at 5.47% of every dollar earned..." N started to explain.

Concordia sighed. "We're not the leaders of Unova, Natural. Even if most citizens follow your commands… and even if we've started laws… Alright, we are like the leaders of Unova. But you know what taxes start."

N nodded. Unova and the regions around it had rebelled from another, larger region when they made taxes too high.

"Well, they deserve one," N thought out loud, "some are starting to unlawfully train Pokémon! Can you believe that? And they don't even have Pokémon Centers anymore. And I thought training _with_ Centers was dangerous to Pokémon health…"

"Natural, you should know better." Concordia started to sound irritated. "It's not their fault. People are barely living with what money they have! A tax would just make things a thousand times worse for them, which would mean more illegal training and labor. Didn't you think that through when Ghetsis and you were playing 'Let's figure out how to rule the world'?"

"I wasn't planning on ruling the world," N said, sad but defensive, "I was just looking out for Pokémon's ideas! Look at them now! Researchers say they are as happy and healthy as ever!"

"They also said Pokémon are increasingly weaker," Concordia pointed out. "Maybe those illegitimate trainers do have a point…"

This made N furious. "How about you just go tell one of the sages to start the tax?"

"Fine," Concordia said, keeping her voice calm as she turned her back, "Oh, and one more thing?"

"What?"

"I think Ghetsis would be proud of you."

N, who hadn't noticed he had stood up sometime during the argument, slid back into his throne, Concordia's comment filling his heart with shame.

* * *

><p>"We're going to Kanto."<p>

Anthea looked up from her book, _Veilstone's Myth_, to find N looking over her.

"Kanto? Why?"

"We haven't liberated all of the Pokémon, remember?" N asked rhetorically, "I was thinking of traveling to Saffron and telling of the success of our kingdom there. Lots of people live and travel there, you know. It might gain us some followers."

Anthea blinked. "That's… a good idea, lord N. Like Ghetsis used to do? I'll go… uh, pack our stuff…"

Anthea closed her book and left the room, leaving N to wonder. What would Kanto be like?

* * *

><p>"Hello, my name is Natural Harmonia, king of Team Plasma," N started out his speech, closely based off of Ghetsis's own, his voice shaky with nervousness. He forced himself to stop and take a breath before starting again. He had to sound confident if these people were to listen to him.<p>

"Today, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation.

"Most of you probably believe humans and Pokémon are partners because we not only rely on each other, but also enjoy each other's company. I would like you, for a moment, to question this belief. Have you ever thought that humans have only assumed this?"

N swallowed as people murmured amongst themselves. Was he doing this right? He glanced to Anthea at his side, who gave him a slight nod. That was enough to convince him that he was doing alright.

"I believe…" N paused again, not sure if he was going to word this correctly, "…that Pokémon might just be the subject to selfish commands of trainers… They get pushed around, and do most of the labor for their 'partners' at work. Can anyone deny what I am saying?

"Pokémon are a separate species from humans, with their own potential and talents unknown to humans, even their own language. We humans have much to learn from them. Now, what do you believe our responsibility, as humans are, towards Pokémon?"

More mumbling. N had no idea what they were saying, but he continued anyways.

"That is correct! We must liberate Pokémon! Only then, as I have proven, will humans and Pokémon truly be equal. The region of Unova believes in these things, and released their Pokémon, and we have seen that the creatures have never been happier! They are stronger, and their populations have grown. Researches have been able to see just the start of the talents of the assumed 'friends' and 'partners' we call Pokémon.

"And that is where I leave you, to implore you to consider the true relationship between humans and Pokémon, and maybe annex the beliefs not only I have, but thousands of people have across Unova. I sincerely thank you for the time you have taken out of your day listening to us."

As N ended his speech, a few people lightly clapped, and many walked away without saying a word. Most, however, stayed behind and discussed what N had preached. Was liberating Pokémon the right direction to travel?

The Plasma grunts around N gathered the flags beside the group, both the shielded banner of Team Plasma and the unmistakable Unovan flag. Before the small gathering left, N looked to Anthea for a sign of approval, who had helped him come up with the speech on the way to Saffron. She nodded and smiled, the sign of a job well done. As N turned to walk away, an unseen clock chimed three.

"Oh," N said, not realizing how late it was, "it's snack time."

N and his team rested north of Cerulean City, having a picnic almost like a regular family, although the grunts felt rather out of place. They were stationed next to the river that ran under Nugget Bridge, a stone's through away from Cerulean Cave.

"Ledged has it," Anthea pointed to the cave, swallowing a bite of apple, "that the strongest Pokémon in the world resided in there. He had angrily fled from his masters, who were abusing his powers." She took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. "Years later they say a boy calmed and tamed him, using its strong powers for good instead of evil."

Before N could respond, his attention was taken by the sound of laughter. He looked towards Nugget Bridge, and saw a young woman.

"Who… is she?" N whispered, quickly realizing what a stupid question it was. How would Anthea know who this strange girl was?

"That's Leaf." To N's surprise, she actually had an answer. "She's one of Kanto's champions, alongside Red and Blue."

They both looked back to Leaf, silently watching.

"You like her, don't you?" Anthea asked.

N nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. "I want to meet her."

"Well, go ahead," Anthea said.

"Huh?"

"Go say hello! Talk to her! What could go wrong?"

What _could_ go wrong? N shook his head and forced himself to stand up and walk towards Leaf. The grunts started to snicker among themselves, and N glared at them. They stopped laughing.

Leaf had turned to watch the river that separated the city from Route 24. She was staring so intently on something, or maybe thinking so deeply, that she didn't notice N as he walked up to her.

"Legend has it," N started uneasily, "that the strongest Pokémon lived in that cave. He had fled from his owners, who were using his powers for their own gain." He started to feel confident, his voice sounding stronger than usual when talking to people. "People say years later a boy was able to tame him and use his powers for good, not gain."

Leaf giggled. "That's a nice story, but I can't say I haven't heard it before. It's a pretty common legend around here. I assume you're from outside of Kanto?"

N blushed, feeling stupid for repeating what must have been the most widely known legend in Kanto. He forced himself to stay cool as he replied. "I'm from Unova."

"Unova… I've heard a lot about that region." Leaf confirmed. "And your name is?"

"N-n." N wasn't sure whether to use his real name or not. How much _did_ Leaf know about Unova?

"N… that's an interesting name." Leaf looked back at Cerulean Cave for a moment. "I'm Leaf. Nice to meet you, N."

* * *

><p>"This is the place," Anthea said, standing in front of a modest but pretty house in Goldenrod City.<p>

"Are you sure?" N asked. He hadn't been convinced that the champion of Kanto would live in Johto.

Anthea sighed. "Of course. I checked the fame checker about a thousand times. Go ahead, she even asked you to come over. She'd be glad to see you!

"Yeah, with no address," N said, still not fully swayed. He stepped forward and lifted his fist, forcing himself to knock before uncertainty overtook him. After three taps at the door, it quickly opened.

"May I help you?" A man N had never seen before answered the door, giving N an odd look. He wasn't expecting visitors, especially ones he'd never met before. Was he maybe welcoming the new couple into the neighborhood?

N's heart sank. He was about to look to Anthea for an excuse to leave, thinking she misread the address, when he saw her. Leaf was sitting in what he assumed to be the living room, in a love seat. The seat next to her had clearly been sat in moments before.

"Who is it, Ethan?" The words Leaf spoke made N freeze in place, not being able to speak in shock. He could tell by the tone of her voice Leaf already had a partner… and it was this navy-haired man of Johto.

"I'm sorry," Anthea said beside N, "I think we have the wrong address. Sorry to bother you."

The man nodded. "No problem. I understand." And he shut the door.

N slightly trembled, and felt a pair of hands lightly grasp he shoulders. "I think we should go home now."

* * *

><p>"Calm down. It's alright," Concordia murmured, "Everything will be okay." Virtually in her lap, N silently cried, heartbroken. He couldn't make himself reply, although he wanted to. Instead, a loud sob came out of his mouth.<p>

"Hush, Natural." Concordia whispered, starting to stand up. "I'm going to get Anthea. Stay here."

N sat up, allowing Concordia to leave the room. He sighed, letting the tears stop for a moment. He couldn't believe he had been crying for so long. Forgetting for a moment what had caused the tears, he felt almost ashamed for crying so much. And then he remembered, starting to sob once again. He couldn't believe Leaf did this to him, being so kind to him, while she already had someone to love…

No, it wasn't Leaf's fault. It was the man's. He was the one who stole Leaf's heart, something that could have been N's otherwise. Ethan, didn't Leaf call him? Ethan was the one to be punished. N couldn't help but smile. He knew what could solve this problem of his.

The door to N's room opened, revealing the head of his Purrlion. The cat-like Pokémon was shooed away as Concordia reentered the room, followed by Anthea, who quickly closed the door behind her.

Anthea blinked when she saw N's smile. "Feeling better?"

"Much," N replied, "I just had an epiphany."

"Great!" said Concordia, who had turned her attention to picking up a stray train car. "What did you think up?"

"Anthea, I want you to be rid of Ethan, the man that was with Leaf."

Anthea froze, an odd expression on her face. "Be… rid of?" Concordia slowly turned to face N.

"Exactly," N said, smiling wider, seeing that Anthea understood. "What is keeping me from Leaf? Ethan. If he wouldn't be in the picture, I would. It's simple."

"Natural…" Concordia started, "You can't just… be rid of someone because they did nothing but fall in love—"

"Why not?" N cut off Concordia's comment, his question more directed towards himself than anyone else. "I have the power to do so. Anthea, you know exactly where he resides. I have a whole kingdom under my control!"

"Natural…"

"Johto. The man lives in Johto, along with all of his things. We could keep Leaf safe here while we take care of those things. He was surely born in another town, but we don't know where, so why not just destroy the entire region?"

"Natural Harmonia Gropius!" Concordia yelled, not being to take his wishes of dominion any longer. "Do you realize what you're saying? You're willing to kill hundreds—no, thousands of innocent people just to get what you want! Don't you see how wrong this is?"

"I don't care!" N yelled, not in anger, but in glee. "I can see it! It will only be a few simple steps, and Leaf will be mine!" He started to laugh. "Call Gorm in here! I wish to discuss with him my plans!" He looked to Anthea, who seemed petrified. "Go ahead, Anthea! You know how you can help me! The sooner Ethan is eliminated, the sooner my plan will unfold!"

* * *

><p><em>Bong… Bong… Bong…. <em>

"Oh, it's snack time." N said to himself, eagerly awaiting Leaf to be taken to his castle. Concordia had said Giallo had successfully found Leaf and taken her without harm to either person. N did not know what he would tell Leaf when she arrived, but surely she would understand, right?

As if on clockwork, a green-haired Anthea entered the room, a platter in her hand. N had to hold himself back from embracing her, as he had not seen her in days, not since he had come up with his plan.

"Today's snack is brioche," Anthea said, her voice sounding as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. N laughed, glad to have her back.

"Thank you, Anthea. My faithful sister. Has everything gone as planned?"

Anthea nodded in reply. "Everything has gone very well. I even hear Zekrom's job is almost done… in Johto."

"Great!" N exclaimed. "I've been paying more attention to the garden's Pokémon lately, but even so, it doesn't seem right without that dragon here. I'm sure it feels the same without its hero."

Anthea once again nodded. "I am glad you are pleased."

"I have another question," N said, "Why is your hair the same hue as mine…?"

The servant half shrugged. "Too many people saw me in Kanto and Johto. Not many people have pink hair like mine, and so I thought a girl with green hair would be much less noticeable. And we don't want anyone recognizing me, do we?" She laughed, a hint of apprehension in her voice. "I didn't want to use your hue of green, but for some reason I found the dye in one of the restrooms. It was the only bottle I could find."

N nodded. "Good thinking. I always knew you were a clever one, Anthea…"

* * *

><p>"Natural, we need to talk to you."<p>

N lifted his head, responding to Concordia's voice. "Has Leaf arrived?" He then realized the owner of the voice hadn't entered the room yet. "Well," he said, "Come in."

Concordia and Anthea both came in the room, side by side. Anthea seemed to be gritting her teeth, while Concordia stayed calm, as always.

"That's what we need to talk to you about…" Concordia began, "Leaf… Isn't coming anytime soon."

"What?" N stood up. "What do you mean she's not coming?"

"She escaped." N barely heard Anthea's soft, somber voice. "As soon as she figured out what was happening, she tricked the grunts, including Giallo, and left long before anyone knew it."

Concordia nodded. "She's a clever one, that girl. I understand why you like her. …But that's not the point. What we're facing here is much more than just a girl escaping Team Plasma's grasp. I'm afraid, Natural, we are facing an all-out rebellion."

"Re-rebellion?"

"Yes. Rebellion. Unova's citizens are tired of your rule, Natural. They won't stand for it any longer. Today they even started a battle between some Plasma members. They had Pokémon, Natural. Strong ones. Strength that can only be obtained after years of training."

"Years…. Of training?" N sat down, too much information being forced in his direction. The people of Unova… were illegally _training_ Pokémon… and attacking Team Plasma?

"What exactly happened?"

"We don't know. All we know is the revolt was led by a young girl, wearing white. Rumors have it…" Concordia paused, knowing the news would surely worry N, "The girl was a relation to Black. Witnesses say her face closely resembled his."

N's heart sank. Black, who he hadn't heard from in the past two years, was somehow a part of this act of rebellion… Even if he didn't know it.

"What about the grunts? Are they all stationed in Unova?"

"Some are still in Johto. Even those that have returned are injured, or at least their Pokémon are. We are not in the right shape if this outburst starts anything."

"Well…" N said, "I'm sure it couldn't get that much worse… could it?"

"It could," Anthea said. "With Zekrom out of the region, it is prime time to attack. But if it's coming back tomorrow… we shouldn't have to worry."

N sighed in relief. "Good. Thank you both…"

The two bowed. "No problem, lord N," They said, and Anthea added, "Just remember, we are here to support your wishes."

* * *

><p>"Lord N!" Bronious's voce echoed down the hall as the sound of his footsteps almost shook the castle floor. "Rebels are attacking Victory Road!"<p>

His bellowing voice jolted N awake, who had fallen asleep in his throne. "Wh-what?"

The sage ran into the room, almost tripping over a section of previously replaced stone. "You have to come immediately! Zekrom is almost at the ready!"

"Oh. Yes. Yes!" N shook himself awake. "I'm coming!" He was dressed in his usual casual attire, but he had no choice but to follow the sage, clutching his crown with one hand. He at least had to have _something_ regal to wear. Right?

N followed the sage through the path he knew by heart, but couldn't quite remember—his head was too confused by panicked thoughts. Victory Road—which had been restructured to protect and store supplies for the castle—was being attacked? Anthea was right. The small act of rebellion could get worse. _Much_ worse.

N wasn't sure what was expected of him in this battle as king. Was he supposed to battle? He couldn't, no matter how much was at stake. Battles were on the bottom on his long list of ideals… and the last time he had battled was a time he wouldn't wish to live through again. But, if Bronious was taking him to Zekrom, what other explanation was there?

Through the long corridor of doors that seemed to go on forever, a maze-like hallway protected the castle's most important room from invaders. N mindlessly ran through the twists and turns, not able to think of a plan. His head was too clouded with sleep. It seemed there was only one way to avoid this battle—abandon Unova, and everything he had ever known. But that was out of the question.

Finally the two regal men reached the door they were searching for. Past it, let a long stairway into a large indoor garden, where the castle's Pokémon lived. Most of the creatures N had released into the wild after their first battles, but this room was for those special cases. Abused Pokémon. Lost, lonely, orphan Pokémon. Any creature who needed help, plus the few that hadn't wanted to leave N's said, who had said they wanted to help him pursue his long search for Pokémon ideals.

The room itself was a giant terrarium. Plants, not to mention plant-like Pokémon, grew in the humid, misty room, vines almost completely covering up the whitewashed walls. The floor was made of up of a loamy soil, most of it made from dead leaves and other waste. In the center of the terrarium sat a small, glistening lake, frequently refilled by water-types playfully spraying other Pokémon, most of the mist ending up in the lake.

Normally N was fascinated by the living things in the room, but he didn't have time to regard the things inside. The two were headed to a place right outside the garden—the place where Zekrom resided. In the other side of the large room a second door led outside, both their destination and the nearest exit of the castle from the throne room.

As Bronious opened the door, N realized he had no idea what the time was. Outside a beautiful sunset was befalling, a few minutes before dark. Above the sinking sun, a large thundercloud hung in the sky, as it seemingly always had. Now it was full of electricity. Every few minutes it would strike the ground with large bolts of the lightning. An electrical storm like this hadn't been seen since N won the battle against Black.

As if feeling N's presence, a goliath bolt hit the ground not more than a mile away from the castle, and Zekrom, brightly lit with blue electricity, flew down from the cloud, swiftly landing at N's feet. It didn't make a sound as it stared at its hero, simply waiting to be taken to a thrill it hadn't experienced in years—a battle.

Bronious whistled, and an Unfezant swooped down before him. Without speaking a word, he jumped on the bird Pokémon and flew off. N watched him go, and looked to his dragon.

"Well, I guess it's best to go," N said, dismissing the idea to do anything else but defend his kingdom. Even if battling was the only option, it was how he earned his rule, wasn't it? He could do it a few more times for peace sake. He had to.

He got onto Zekrom's back, memories flooding through his mind as the Pokémon took off. He hadn't ridden on the dragon since he commanded Unova to release their Pokémon. Still now, N couldn't believe the moment when thousands of people released their creatures at one time, accepting his new philosophy. This trip, however, took his mind further back than that.

The first time N rode on Zekrom, he had been so obsessed, so convinced that the legendary would lead him to power. With a single battle, either way the world would be changed. And it had. And now with another battle it might change back… N shook his head. This was nothing, just a small act of rebellion. Team Plasma was too prepared for something like this to take them down.

But, what if the rebels would win the battle? What if almost three years ago Black had the won the battle between him and N, and kept his memory? N couldn't imagine it. He shook his head again. He should just take this time to clear his mind.

The sun had set in the horizon; the sky was still lit with orange clouds, although now it was much darker. The stars had just started to come out, already bright with a new moon hanging invisibly in the sky. Tonight's battle would be fought in darkness, and hopefully wouldn't last long enough to see dawn's light.

In the sky it was completely silent, other than the wind blowing by as they flew and the gentle hum of Zekrom's tail generator. Within minutes the sky had turned from orange and indigo to a dark navy. Night had officially begun. Normally, many nocturnal Pokémon would be out and making sounds, but maybe the wind carried the sound away. Or, maybe they knew the danger of being anywhere near Victory Road would be.

Before long, Zekrom started to descend. Traveling to the entrance of Victory Road was more of an upwards climb than length, although that was all the more reason to travel by dragon. N could finally hear something now. Unseen voices were slowly becoming louder and louder, and N realized how close they were. As he looked back, he thanked Arceus that Zekrom had the sense to turn his generator off, the blue light no longer glowing brightly in the moonless night sky.

The mountainside of Victory Road had covered up the scene of the upcoming battle during most of the flight. Now, it was able to be seen in its full glory. The battle hadn't officially started yet, but N expected most of the rebels were inside the mountain itself, trying to get in instead of fighting. The hooded figures of Team Plasma were flooding out of entrances all over the mountainside, and a lot flying in like Bronious and N were. Where the gates that kept insufficient trainers out of the League had been taken out was where most of the visible solders were gathered.

N watched in horror as Pokémon were released from crude Apricot balls, the red light revealing they were covered in scars, and were ready, they almost looked _excited_ for battle. N had still not learned how Poké Balls worked, as they were banned even from the Plasma researchers, and was now convinced they had something that messed with Pokémon's brains. Surely there was no way they could want to do this. This battle would be no sport—some would probably die. If not, nor they got injuries too serious to be treated well, there were no Pokémon Centers to heal them. Only doctors and berries would be used by the illegal trainers, unless they confiscated potions from other regions.

As Zekrom shifted its weight, preparing to land, N saw how the creature where to go. Anthea was waving her arms in the air, her green dyed hair blowing wildly in the wind that must have been as strong as it was in the air. N must not have had time to notice it before taking off.

"Anthea!" He yelled as soon as he was within hearing distance. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

With a loud _thump_, the legendary landed near Anthea's feet. N jumped off and ran right towards her.

"So are you!" Anthea said, trying to keep her hair out of her face. "You need to leave! Right now!"

"Leave?" N had to yell, voices around them turning into war cries. With the wind, it was virtually impossible to hear. "I just came!"

"Exactly!" Anthea yelled back. "Pokémon aren't the only ones in danger! I can't let you go any further! You'll get yourself hurt! Killed, even!"

"I have to go. It's my duty, as king!"

"Duty?" Anthea cursed. "Who cares about duty? Without you this kingdom is nothing. You can't risk everything like this! If you die, we've just lost the war without even fighting!"

N sighed. Anthea was impossible to argue with, just like Concordia was. He couldn't stay. She was right. He had to live, for Pokémon ideals.

"Go!" Anthea yelled, literally pushing him towards Zekrom. "Leave! The battle is just about to begin!"

* * *

><p>"N, I think you should see something." N looked up from his void cube, which he was trying to solve, again, when he couldn't sleep. Anthea was looking at him. Her voice had sounded completely calm, like Concordia's often did, although her hands were nervously folded in front of her.<p>

"Did… another battle start?" N asked, not wanted to know the answer. The last few days Victory Road had been attacked right and left. Even of Team Plasma was winning the battles, it was clear before long they would not be winning the war.

Anthea nodded. She slowly walked to a window in the throne room, covered by a curtain, and motioned for N to come. He follow her didn't for a moment, rotating the cube in his hands. Then, he finally set the toy down, and reluctantly went to the window.

What lay behind the curtain was N's nightmare.

What had been the glorious entrance to his castle, the very spot where thousands of Pokémon had been liberated from their trainers, was now a place of bloodbath. Not only Pokémon, but humans were fighting, with swords and knives and other weapons. N once thought this was something found only in history books. This was no history book. It was real life, and unless it was some cruel dream, it was really happening.

The first thing he noticed was the bodies littering the ground, human and Pokémon alike. Not all were hurt that badly, but the humans were hurt much more than the Pokémon. A lot had blacked out, or just become exhausted, but only a few were truly gone. A few was enough.

The rest of the ground was chaos, uncountable trainers commanding their Pokémon to fight to the finish. Flames were everywhere, quickly overcome with water. The sky was unbelievably lit up with electricity; so much that at times the lighting looked like day. Every kind of Pokémon imaginable was battling, even some N had never seen before.

The humans fighting were almost worse off. Both the rebels and Team Plasma had on thick armor, enough to withstand a few sword strikes. The protective shells were mostly the metallic silver, except for one that was bleached white, and was headed towards the castle in a fury. A few of the armor suits had been pieced, and most of those were being taken care of by doctors. A rare few, however, were the bodies in the field, not even the most advanced medicine could save them. People were dying.

"Why… haven't I seen this?" N cried out, trembling with such force he thought the room would fall apart.

"The battle just started," Anthea somberly said, "And the sages decided it would end just as quick. Concordia is trying to stop them, but… they're leaving. They have no hope left for Team Plasma, N."

The two looked behind them as footsteps echoed thought the room. Concordia was walking towards them.

"They're gone." She announced. "All six of the sages have left."

She continued walking towards them, and also looked out the window, her face deadpan. "This… may be the last battle."

Anthea looked back at the window, but N didn't have the stomach to. Seeing all those innocent Pokémon, being forced to fight their kin…

A slight gasp came from Anthea's mouth. "N…" She murmured, her voice sorrowful enough to grab the king's attention. N forced himself to look at the window once again, and saw something that sent his heart crashing down. For some reason Zekrom had come from its thunderhead into the battle, where three knights that were trying to slay it.

It was the Shadow Triad.

"I thought they were dead," Anthea breathed.

"So did I," Concordia said, no emotion in her voice. "I suppose they were loyal to Ghetsis even after his death. They're trying to take revenge against the creature that took his life. It's understandable. I wouldn't be surprised if they came up with the idea to start the revolution, although I think the warrior in white is their leader."

Now N couldn't take his eyes off of the narrow window. The trio were equipped with swords, and were repeatedly disappearing and reappearing, trying to strike though Zekrom's thick armor every time they appeared with their weapons, the creature's cries shaking the window frame.

"The creature can't die, can it?" Anthea asked. "It will just convert back into the Dark Stone if defeated, correct?"

"Nothing can live forever, Anthea." Concordia replied, "But, I'm sure it wouldn't disappear eternally anytime soon."

A light sigh of relief came from N's mouth. Even if he didn't live on, Zekrom and its ideals surely would, at least for a while…

"We should leave." Concordia continued. "Once Zekrom is finished, and most of the troops, the warrior in white is sure in invade, if they haven't already."

"I'm not leaving." N quickly declared.

"Natural, if you want to stay, I'll let you. What is that old saying? A captain always goes down with his ship? Well, I can understand that. You know if you stay, you will almost surely never leave…?"

"Yes." N couldn't believe what he was saying. It was true, though. He'd travel to the garden and stay there with his friends, and go down with his 'ship'.

"Alright…" Concordia shook her head. "I wish you luck. And If I don't see you again…" She paused, her emotional block starting to fail as her voice, for the first time N had herd, shook. "I'm proud to have called you my son. You've done well. Come on, Anthea. We better—"

"I'm not going either." Anthea said.

"But, Anthea," N protested, "You don't have to stay…" His last words came out as a whimper. He wished he could spend whatever happened next with his sister. If only she was guaranteed not to be harmed.

"N's right," Concordia said. "They'll probably leave you alone, but I wouldn't take any chances, angry people punish whoever they can get their hands on…"

"No, I'm staying. Just like you said, a captain going down with her ship, except I'm only part of the crew."

"I can't stop you two," Concordia said, "So do whatever you wish. It's brave of you, Anthea, to stay, but…" She shook her head, about to break into tears. "I'm leaving."

Without another word, N's teacher, caretaker, and parent left the room. N wanted to call out, to go with her, but he had to stay. It was selfish to make her stay along with Anthea. His eyes leaked, tears streaming down his face without a sound. "Concordia…"

Anthea, beside him, calmly shut the blinds, acting as if this wasn't the last time she would see Concordia again.

"This country is coming to an end," Anthea said. "Even if this is our punishment… I will still go against it."

_To be continued…_


	3. Sister of Evil

So, here's pretty much Son of Evil, the last part, in Anthea's point of view. I made it as little repetitive as possible, but there're a lot of parts that have to be repeated to see Anthea's POV. It's not too bad though. It also finishes the cliffhanger at the end of Son of Evil (which is once again in N's POV), and explains a lot of other things.

**Disclaimer:** This is based off of "Maid of Evil", which was also posted on YouTube by Kanannon. It has a few quotes from the song, which are in italics in the last part of the chapter. Anthea's first two quotes and Concordia's quote are not mine; they are straight from the game Pokémon Black.

**Edit:** I reread this, and found a few mistakes. If you're reading this, it means I fixed them and reuploaded the chapter.

**Edit 2:** The asterisks were also left out of this chapter, so those are fixed as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Sister of Evil<strong>

**Part 3 of the King of Evil Series**

"I am Anthea... Black, before you go to confront my lord N, please take a moment to rest..." I spoke this to a boy I had only heard of many times, but never met in person. I knew his name before he told me, but I let him inform me this never less. He was the exact image N had described. Black was a brown-hair boy around the age of twelve or thirteen, with the same color eyes. He wore a confident look, as if he had no need to rest his Pokémon.

He did anyway, releasing all six of his creatures at one time. I don't remember most of them, having much more important things to remember about that day. I fed them berries, which they ate out of my hands. It was quite a nice experience, now that I think about it. I didn't spend much time with Pokémon back then, only when I needed them to help me with chores around the castle.

"Ah, good. Both you and your Pokémon regained energy... Trainers battle to practice their skills and to grow in experience, but never to hurt their Pokémon. My lord N has realized this, deep down in his heart, but he has spent too much painful time here in this castle to admit it..." The words I spoke to this near stranger hurt, because it knew it was true. Even if I was doing my best to help N, I disagreed with everything he was fighting for. He did have good intentions, as Concordia, the woman I had thought to be my mother, explained to Black.

"I am Concordia. I give peace and comfort to N. N has been separated from people since he was young. He was brought up with Pokémon... Pokémon that were betrayed, mistreated and hurt by bad people... Ghetsis deliberately brought only those poor Pokémon closer to N. N was touched by their plight, and started pursuing ideals, thinking only of Pokémon. N's heart is pure and innocent. But there is nothing more beautiful and terrifying than innocence."

I also knew these words to be true. The thing that surprised me though, was that Concordia called N by his nickname. As his foster mother, she always called him by his given name, Natural. Perhaps it was because she was speaking with Black.

Black left with his Pokémon, silently thanking us with a nod. He wasn't much for words, as N had once explained to me. His Pokémon spoke for him.

"I can't stand here any longer." I said when he left, my legs restless. We had been standing all day, for reasons I'm still not sure of. "I'm going to check on N."

"Alright, but be back soon," Concordia replied, starting to yawn, but she quickly shut her mouth. I wasn't the only one sick of standing around.

I walked out of room we awkward stood in, looking down the hall. Black wasn't to be seen. He must be in another room, maybe on another level of the castle. I noticed how odd it was to have the halls this bright, compared to when the castle was still underground. Now that I think about it… I spent nearly all of my life underground, didn't I? I had been N's servant from a very early age, even if he was two years younger than I. I never did leave the castle until years afterwards, and for all I knew then I was was born inside there.

That wasn't shocking at all compared to N's home for the first twenty years of his life. He hadn't let his room… at all. I wonder how Black reacted when he saw it. I never got to know, as soon afterwards he lost his entire memory and couldn't tell me if he wanted to.

I scuttled down the halls, almost having to squint against the bright sunlight. The waterfall fountains on either side of the staircases reflected the light and made it harder for my eyes to see. Finally at the end of the hall I climbed a staircase, and had to run across another long corridor before coming to the next set of stairs. I was used to it, as being a servant usually means you have to go long distances quickly in a castle like this.

On the top floor, halfway down the hall was the open doorway to N's throne room. I suspected N was the figure waiting for Black in the doorway, but who I saw instead really startled me.

"Why, hello Anthea," Ghetsis said in that unmistakable tone of his, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

I froze at the sound of his voice, and forced myself to relax. _It's only your father… _I tried to tell myself. The thought didn't help calm me down, but I still was able to act natural.

"I was just about to see if N needed anything," I said, "Before his battle with Black."

"Ah, yes, N… I'm sure he won't need a thing. He has become obsessed with this battle; if anything was wrong or missing, he would notice. You don't need to bother."

This disturbed me. I could tell that the last thing Ghetsis was enter in room until the battle was over. He was planning something… but what?

A clock somewhere chimed three o'clock.

"Oh, it's snack time, as N would say." Ghetsis chuckled. "Most every day you would have something to eat for him, and deliver it to him personally at this time, am I correct?"

I nodded, not sure where he was going with this.

"You're one loyal servant… I don't remember a time you were late.

"…Which is odd," he continued, "Don't you ever wonder why you, the older sibling, got the short end of the stick? To always serve your brother hand and foot? Let me tell you a secret…"

Ghetsis had never failed to scare me. This was no exception. He pulled my pink hair from my face and pulled it behind my ear, leaning forward to whisper into my ear.

"I'm not really your or your brother's father, dear Anthea. Nor is Concordia N's mother, for that matter. I don't know who you belong to, but certainly not me." And he silently slid back into the shadows. I think I heard him chuckle. I didn't even start to absorb what he just told me, just the way he said it made my instincts yell at me to run. I stood there for a moment, still frozen.

"I better get going…" I finally muttered.

"Of course," Ghetsis said, invisible in the darkness, "Concordia must be missing you."

I turned around and stiffly started to walk back to the room Concordia and I had been in a moment earlier. As I pulled reality back together, I knew Ghetsis was not sane. You had to be blind not to see it. What he just told me… what was the purpose of it? Why did he choose that moment to tell me?

Then I realized the fullness of what he had said—I was not related to that monster! Nor was N! Relief flooded my mind. I'd much rather not know my parents than know he was my father. Telling me that was probably the nicest thing Ghetsis ever did for me.

If only N could know some day…

* * *

><p>"We're going to Kanto"<p>

I remember when N told me this, a little after two years after he defeated Black. His face was red and flustered, and I knew he had been arguing with Concordia again. They didn't get along well at this point, as Concordia lived up to her name. Being 'the Goddess of Peace' was more than just a name for her. It was a life style.

Concordia absolutely hated violence, and pain caused to other people. N had no compassion to humans, as Ghetsis had taught him not to. He treated the citizens of Unova like dirt. Because of this, the economy collapsed with the sudden loss of jobs, and we were virtually the only ones with money.

The previously innocent and pure N had turned sour with his new kingdom, although it was hard to tell at first. It always seemed to me he was still my kind brother. He was still shy to those he didn't know, Black being an exception, and had almost so social skills whatsoever. Soon after N took control over Unova I vowed to change that.

When N told me we were going to Kanto, I was catching up on stories of mythology, with both Concordia and I found especially interesting. In _Veilstone's Myth_, the book told of a swordswomen named White who encountered a demon-like Pokémon. It was very morbid for a myth, but still interesting. Sinnoh's myths were always this way.

"Kanto?" I asked him, "Why?"

"We haven't liberated all of the Pokémon, remember? I was thinking of traveling to Saffron and telling of the success of our kingdom there. Lots of people live and travel there, you know. It might gain us some followers."

I was shocked. For N to suggest such an activity, one that consisted of speaking out loud to a _crowd_ of people, I was impressed. Maybe he could be a king, after all.

"That's… a good idea, lord N," I said, "Like Ghetsis used to do? I'll go… uh, pack our stuff…" I knew right away comparing his idea to Ghetsis was a bad idea, but he did have the right idea to speak in public like that. Ghetsis could so easily manipulate people's feelings… Maybe N could have that talent, also.

I left the room to do just what I had said. Pack our things. It didn't take me very long, but I still had plenty of time to think. Reading about myths made me often think about life, and I wondered how much of my own life was surrounded in myth. Concordia had once told me when N and I were very little, someone had rung the Celestial Bell when we were in the entrance of the tower, which I guess was supposed to be some sort of blessing. I supposed it was Ghetsis's idea, trying to bless his little king. I scoffed. I never understood him.

* * *

><p>After a few days of traveling, N, a few grunts and I arrived at Saffron City. The city was more than I could have imagined, with beautiful golden buildings everywhere. People were bustling about—it was almost as busy as Castelia City. I loved it. N seemed to care less. He was more worried about how well he would give his speech, and I can't blame him. We had come up with it on the ride here, and it was very similar to the one Ghetsis gave at Accumula Town.<p>

When I was looking for a spot to set up, I became lost in the large city. I wandered for what seemed like hours, becoming more paranoid with every step. I had no Pokémon to defend me, and in this region anyone could own them. It could turn bad if I ran into the wrong person.

Thank Arceus I didn't. Instead, I ran into a man that was very helpful.

He had dark navy hair and deep gray eyes, one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. When I say I ran into him, I literally ran into him, carelessly turning a corner. He wasn't carrying anything, thank goodness, but he still looked like he was in a hurry.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry" he said.

"Oh—" I didn't have time to say anything before he spoke again.

"It's looks like you're lost," he said with a laugh, "I've seen that look before. Common, I'll show you to where ever you're going."

With that kind voice and smile, I fell in love at first sight.

"Thank you…" I was able to muster, "I'm looking for… the Saffron Gyms." It was the first place I could think of.

"Alright. Right this way," he said, turning to his right.

I couldn't help but stare as I followed him to where he was taking me. I didn't even know his name, and yet I had fallen in love with him. I rue those feelings, as I knew they would never work, and would only give me pain. But I couldn't control my heart.

Before long we arrived at the two gyms of the town.

"Thank you," I said, bowing out of habit.

He laughed. "You're welcome. If you need anything else, I'm sure you'll run into me."

We both laughed at his joke, and he left, leaving me still needing to find N. I had no trouble, actually, because one the grunts that actually knew his way around the city suggested N give his speech there. Within minutes after the man leaving, I saw N down the street, recognizable by his green hair. It wasn't odd to have green hair in any region, although his fluffy ponyta-tail was unmistakable.

We set up, which really was just putting the Team Plasma and Unovan flags to either side of our group, and waited for people to come to us, curious. It wasn't long before the street was crowded, and I nodded to N, signaling him to start his speech.

I wasn't paying attention while he spoke. I was too busy thinking about the kind man, and if there was any way I could find him again. Even if we could never have a relationship, I wanted to at least get to know him. N looked to me, occasionally, probably wondering if he was doing alright. Whenever he did, I gave him a nod, even if I had no idea if he was doing a decent job.

My thoughts were interrupted by the crowd clapping, and I realized N must have finished. The grunts around us gathered up the flags, and N looked to me for one last sign of approval. I nodded again; adding a smile, as if to say, _Don't worry. You did great._

A relieved look melted onto his face, and I was glad. I was one step closer to my goal—making up for twenty years without social knowledge. A clock somewhere chimed three o'clock, and N said his all too familiar slogan.

"Oh, it's snack time."

* * *

><p>We set up camp in Cerulean City, near the famous cave that was named after the town. I had packed food, not knowing what we were going to do after the speech we came for. After looking around the towns near Saffron, N saw the spot just to the west of Nugget Bridge and suggested we have a picnic. If anyone else had suggested so, I wouldn't have agreed, but I liked N's puerile nature. I knew it was only the result of his treatment in his castle, but I couldn't dislike it.<p>

As I bit into an apple, I remembered a myth Concordia had told me when I was little about the cave, after one of our schooling lessons. I had just started to become interested in the legends she told, and after she was done teaching N in his own skill level she would tell me a different story every day. I'm not sure why I remember this one, it always stuck out in my brain. It wasn't the cave itself that made me remember it.

"Ledged has it that the strongest Pokémon in the world resided in there. He had angrily fled from his masters, who were abusing his powers," I told N aloud, summarizing the long story, "Years later they say a boy calmed and tamed him, using its strong powers for good instead of evil."

I thought he would enjoy it, knowing that the Pokémon had liberated itself. What I was really trying to get across, though, was that another trainer had treated it kindly—trying to remind him not all humans were bad. He didn't seem to notice, as his attention was grabbed by laughter.

"Who… is she?" he asked, staring at the very champion of Kanto herself.

"That's Leaf," I explained, "She's one of Kanto's champions, alongside Red and Blue."

He seemed mildly surprised I knew who she was. He didn't say anything, just looked at her. I knew that look. That was just how I had looked at the man earlier today, who still lingered in my mind. I held back a sigh. When I wanted N to be more proactive with getting to know people, I certainly didn't want him to fall in love with a Champion.

"You like her, don't you?"

N nodded, confirming my suspicions. "I want to meet her."

"Well, go ahead." I realized I might actually be able to make this work.

"Huh?"

"Go say hello!" I encouraged, "Talk to her! What could go wrong?"

N shook his head, probably trying to dismiss doubt that clouded his head. He stood up, and when the grunts started to mock him, he gave them a glare. I couldn't help but smile. Little N was finally coming out of his shell.

I watched N as he mingled with Leaf, and felt proud of myself. Because of my coaxing I thought N was finally getting somewhere in the world.

After a few days, we decided to stay in Kanto for a while and look around while we were there. We saw all of the sights that random brochures suggested, although the only thing N found interesting was the Power Plant. Even if we acted like we were having fun, I knew there was only one thing on each of our minds—the people we had each found and fell in love with.

Finally, N confessed he just wanted to see Leaf again. She'd told him to come over any time, which was odd, because he was never given an address. I didn't believe him, but I used my fame checker to find her address anyways. I didn't really have a choice against it.

The address the fame checker spat out was in Goldenrod City, in Johto. _Oh, great, _I thought, _Another large city to get lost in._

"This is the place," I said a day or two later, standing in front of her house, which I thankfully had no trouble finding once I got to the city.

"Are you sure?" N had asked me.

"Of course," I told him "I checked the fame checker about a thousand times. Go ahead, she even asked you to come over. She'd be glad to see you!" I lied. I had no idea how Leaf would react, but I had to act positive if I wanted it to work.

"Yeah, with no address," N grumbled at himself. He walked up to the door and knocked it, an answer coming right away.

"May I help you?"

_Oh Arceus, _I thought, _It can't be him. We must have the wrong address._ The man standing in the doorway was the same man I met in Saffron. He looked to N, confused, and then to me. A faint flash of recognition registered in his eyes, and I wanted to go home more than ever.

N and I must have noticed Leaf at the same time. I knew exactly what was happening before she even spoke.

"Who is it, Ethan?" She asked the man, and I knew with the look in her eyes that my crush had turned into just that. A crushing sensation in my chest. I could almost feel the same thing happening to N. I don't know how I could muster enough courage to finally speak.

"I'm sorry. I think we have the wrong address. Sorry to bother you." The man, Ethan, looked at me for a moment, with a look I couldn't recognize in his eyes before he answered.

"No problem. I understand."

He shut the door, and I could feel N tremble beside me. I held my hands on his shoulders, not to stabilize him, but me.

"I think we should go home now," I said to him, not wanting to do anything else. I did my best to keep my voice strong. N could not know the feelings I held for that man.

* * *

><p>The next few days were terrible. N sobbed enough for the both of us, and I was almost thankful his many requests gave me time to be busy. I was able to keep Ethan in the back of my mind, and I would not let myself cry. Concordia was sure to find out sometime, and she was having enough trouble trying to cheer up N. I forced my somberness in the far corner in my mind.<p>

I had just taken a break one day when Concordia called for me. Because she was constantly caring for N, I had to do her jobs as well as mine. I barely had time to think, but then again, that was a good thing.

"Natural's not calming down," Concordia told me, "I think it'd be best if he saw you for a while. You've been getting good at encouraging him."

I couldn't help but laugh. Me, calming down N. What a thought. If Concordia thought it might work, I decided I'd at least try.

I told the chef to start baking a brioche, N's favorite snack, and followed Concordia to his room. I used to love going to N's room as a child, but now I hated it. Any sane person would. The sky-painted room was covered with toys, both old and new. Normally this wouldn't bother anyone, but most of the toys were recently played with. When N, a man of 23, got bored, he was more than happy to play with his old train set. The eerie room more often than not gave even Concordia chills.

We entered the room, and I shooed away a Purrlion that roamed the castle halls. As Concordia walked off to the side to pick up a toy, I noticed that N was wearing a smile more ominous than the room itself.

"Feeling better?"

"Much," N told me, "I just had an epiphany."

"Great!" Concordia sounded more than relieved. "What did you think up?"

N faced me as he spoke. "Anthea, I want you to be rid of Ethan, the man that was with Leaf."

My heart skipped a beat. "Be… rid of?"

"Exactly," N said, his mouth opening into a grin. "What is keeping me from Leaf? Ethan. If he wouldn't be in the picture, I would. It's simple."

"Natural…" Concordia silently said, "You can't just… be rid of someone because they did nothing but fall in love—"

"Why not? I have the power to do so. Anthea, you know exactly where he resides. I have a whole kingdom under my control!" _Oh, Arceus, don't tell me he's serious… Please…_

"Natural…"

"Johto. The man lives in Johto, along with all of his things." N recalled. "We could keep Leaf safe here while we take care of those things. He was surely born in another town, but we don't know where, so why not just destroy the entire region?" After all of these years, N had finally snapped. The craze in his voice was only too clear.

"Natural Harmonia Gropius! Do you realize what you're saying? You're willing to kill hundreds—no, thousands of innocent people just to get what you want! Don't you see how wrong this is?" I had stopped listening long ago. I was too far in shock.

"I don't care! I can see it! It will only be a few simple steps, and Leaf will be mine!" He started to laugh, past the point of returning to sanity. "Call Gorm in here! I wish to discuss with him my plans!" He looked at me with those crazy grey eyes. "Go ahead, Anthea! You know how you can help me! The sooner Ethan is eliminated, the sooner my plan will unfold!"

The moment I was released from N's room I fled to my own. I held it together just long enough to shut my door behind me, and then I burst into sobs. N had requested me to do something I could never do. And yet, I knew I had to.

It wasn't just that N was the king of Team Plasma, my 'lord'. Because for so many years I was not only portrayed as N's maid, but also his big 'sister', I had become that. I had always guided him, done what he asked, and kept him safe from harm. In return, I had the satisfaction of knowing N would always be somewhere smiling.

N was not smiling. He was in pain past the point of sanity, and I had been too distracted to realize this. Leaf breaking his heart wasn't even the start of it. He was guilty of killing Ghetsis, and even if neither of us cared for him, as I would later learn, something happens when you take a person's life. It is a terrible feeling unlike any other. Black, the closest thing to a human friend he had, had also suffered because of him. Losing Leaf just cut the final thread keeping him together. I knew if I did this for him, maybe he would come back. If not, he would still be a happier person. That was what convinced me to follow through.

I decided to dye my hair. I couldn't face Ethan if he recognized me. He would just look at me with those bright, friendly grey eyes, and I wouldn't be able to do it. I was given a rare trait—pink hair. He would recognize me right away, and so would other people. I would be much easier to for the international police to find me if I had such a rare quality.

As I looked through the castle, sure there was some sort of dye somewhere, I soon found there was none to be stumbled upon. I would ask Concordia if she knew where some was kept, but she was still arguing with N. To go into his room would make me break down again.

Finally, I realized I might know where some dye would be kept. If Ghetsis wasn't really N's father, I had a growing suspicion that green wasn't his natural hair color, either. It was surprising enough that I had pink hair, two odd hair colored children wouldn't make sense in the least. Pink is highly recessive, which could explain missing generations of the color. Green wasn't.

Standing at Ghetsis's room's door, I shivered at the thought of might be in there. It hadn't been touched by anyone in almost three years. Without looking at anything in the room, I ran in, and went straight into the bathroom, where a bottle of dye was sitting. That bastard, I knew it! I grabbed it and ran out, forgetting to shut the door behind me. I didn't care; I didn't want to go back there. The atmosphere was enough to want me to stay out for good.

When I looked into the mirror for the first time with green hair, I was shocked. The face looking it me through the glass surface was N's. My hair was the same shade as his. It wasn't just my hair that looked the same, it was my face. I hadn't noticed before, but for not actually being related, N and I looked very similar. I stared at myself for a while, and then remembered why I looked for the dye in the first place. I had orders that need to be completed.

I didn't bother packing, knowing I'd only stay in Johto long enough to complete my job. The only thing I took with me was a knife from the kitchen. No one noticed when I took it from the knife block. Summoning an Unfezant, I flew towards Ethan's house, tears streaming from my eyes as we flew.

Finally, the Unfezant landed, and flew back to some roosting place nearby. I was in the center of Goldenrod, at the entrance of the city's Pokémon Center. It was an odd sight, not seeing one in years. I had memorized the directions to Ethan's house from here. I sighed, trying not to think of what I was going to do once I got there. Even if I told myself I was just going for a friendly visit, there was no convincing my brain.

Upon arriving at my love's house, I looked in the windows to see Ethan was sitting in his kitchen, enjoying lunch. I walked behind his house, where the back door was unlocked.

I try not to remember what happened next.

* * *

><p><em>Bong… Bong… Bong…. <em>Outside N's room, I took a breath. It was time to report I had completed my assignment.

As I entered the room, plate in hand, I noticed N's face fill with happiness when he saw me. I wasn't sure if I was going to start laughing or sobbing when I opened my mouth. I was never good at hiding my emotions, unlike Concordia, although I seemed to be getting better at it.

I did neither.

"Today's snack is brioche," I said, keeping my voice natural.

N laughed, happiness lighting up his eyes.

"Thank you, Anthea. My faithful sister." I held back a flinch as he said the word _sister_. If only he knew… "Has everything gone as planned?"

I nodded. "Everything is going very well. I even hear Zekrom's job is almost done…" I paused, not wanting to think of Ethan's homeland being destroyed. "…in Johto."

"Great! I've been paying more attention to the garden's Pokémon lately, but even so, it doesn't seem right without that dragon here. I'm sure it feels the same without its hero."

I couldn't believe he was acting like everything was wonderful. He dismissed the fact a region was burning with a laugh.

"I am glad you are pleased," I said anyways. I wasn't lying; I couldn't stay sad with his cheerfulness, no matter how hard I tried. I had made him happy. That's all that mattered.

"I have another question… Why is your hair the same hue as mine…?" N asked, and I realized I had forgotten about dying my hair.

"Too many people saw me in both Kanto and Johto," I explained, "Not many people have pink hair like mine, and so I thought a girl with green hair would be much less noticeable. And we don't want anyone recognizing me, do we?" I forced myself to laugh. "I didn't want to use your hue of green, but for some reason I found the dye in one of the restrooms. It was the only bottle I could find."

"Good thinking."

_Oh, good, he understood. _I thought.

"I always knew you were a clever one, Anthea…"

Clever, I wasn't. I knew I was just a coward.

* * *

><p>When I said the last few days were terrible, it was nothing compared to the days after the first revolutionary battle. The whole castle had a nervous atmosphere to it, and we were constantly working. N was still requesting lots of things, from food to random everyday objects, and so were all six of the sages. All of the time those days I spent running back and forth from their rooms to whatever they needed and back.<p>

Along with fetching objects, we were busy with soldiers. Even if most Pokémon did the fighting for them, their partners—N did not want them called trainers—where often hurt by rogue attacks. Unlike the time were battling was legal, it was a very dangerous feat without the usual safety restrictions.

Concordia, who to me seemed to know everything, knew a little about medicine, so when she was helping the doctors I once again had to do her work for her. Every day, Concordia told me, the number of wounded was growing larger. Team Plasma was slowly losing its power again the rebels, who only grew more powerful with experience. At first Team Plasma was able to fight the rebels off, but before long, it seemed, the tables began to turn. One day Concordia flat out told me we were not winning the war.

I knew if I wanted my previous efforts to count I had to take action. I admit N wasn't a very good king (at all), but his rule was the only thing holding Team Plasma together. If he was defeated, so was the whole kingdom.

When I was younger I would protect N from overly angered Pokémon and even Ghetsis, and so I decided I would once again protect him, so he could hopefully live on with a smile.

If N would ever battle, which I doubted he would, I knew the one Pokémon he would use. Zekrom, the legendary dragon of ideas he had since before he battled Black. Because of this, I decided to befriend it.

One of the Team Plasma grunts from Sinnoh long ago had showed me how to make poffins, a popular treat for Pokémon there. N had once told me Zekrom preferred the sour taste of the sitrus berry, so I used that in my mix. I cooked the batter, and got a somewhat decent result. I decided it was fine, especially for not making one in years.

That evening after everything had settled down a little, I snuck out of my bedroom. I was allowed to roam the castle at night, but I still didn't want anyone to know what I was doing. If someone would tell N why I was visiting his dragon so late, he'd probably want to know why. I really didn't want to tell him. If he knew I was risking a lot to protect him, he'd probably freak. His mind wasn't very stable at the time.

The first time I exited the garden and looked to the looming thunderhead where the dragon resided, nothing happened. I called Zekrom's name, told it I had something for it, but it never came down. Giving up, I left the poffin on the ground, shivering from the cool evening. The next morning, I was able to sneak out again. The poffin was gone. I'd smiled. Either some wild Pokémon got to it, or Zekrom eventually took my gift.

I repeated this schedule many nights, and was about to give up, although every morning the poffin was gone. I started to think Zekrom hadn't taken them at all, but some other hungry creature. The last night I decided to leave the poffin, the night before the battle at Victory Road, something finally happened.

As I called Zekrom's name, I could hear a few seconds later the rumble of thunder. At first I dismissed it, but then heard it again.

"Zekrom?" I repeatedly asked in only a whisper, hoping I could finally see the creature.

As if hearing my miniscule summon, a single blue bolt of lightning flashed in the clouds, and a blue light started coming closer.

Zekrom was finally coming to my call.

The dragon shook the ground at as it landed; its generator lighting up the early night with a receding blue glow. I was awestruck at such a behemoth creature. It stared straight at the poffin in my hands, and after a few seconds I realized that was the only thing it wanted. But why didn't it just wait until I was gone?

Realizing Zekrom trusted me, I carefully walked up to it. I could feel my hair being pulled up by the static in the air. The creature didn't take its eyes off of the treat in my hand. I gingerly lifted it up to its gigantic form. A single, black arm reached towards mine. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. The Pokémon used one large clawed palm to grasp to poffin, and ate it eagerly. I was frozen in place the whole time, barely believing it. This legendary dragon, that could, and had, easily kill a country of people, was eating from my hand.

The creature snorted, and continued to stare at me. I didn't know what else it wanted. Could I come closer? I started to take a step forward, but it let out a silent growl. I shivered. Apparently it didn't trust me yet.

We continued this awkward pose for a while, and in my clouded head I put together that this dragon was smarter than it looked. I was giving it these treats for a reason, and it had figured that out. It now wanted to know that reason.

"I would like a favor…" I started, not knowing if it even knew human speech. Its stare didn't waver, and so I decided to continue.

"If N would ever fight in one of these battles… He would surely be injured, maybe killed. If he was, the war would be a lost cause. So, I'm asking you this… If you go into a battle, and I tell him to go home, you take him home. Understand?"

The dragon nodded. It actually nodded. Seeing I had nothing else to ask, it turned its back, and the generator tail started to spin, creating the same blue glow.

Within a flash, it was gone, along with my worries. N would be safe… at least for a little while longer.

* * *

><p>The events of next day everything were mostly the same, and I acted as if nothing had happened. I had to stop myself from smiling about completing the first part of my plan in keeping N safe. Lately I had often sulked in my free time, and smiling would arouse questions, especially when N had done the same when he snapped.<p>

I was just about to finish my final jobs that night when I could hear yelling on the floor above me. The ceiling almost shook with frantic footsteps, and I knew exactly what was happening. Another battle had broken out, and if someone was in that much of a hurry, it had to be pretty bad. Then, it struck me—Victory Road was being attacked. It was the only place other than the castle itself to arouse so much concern.

I dropped the stack of dishes I was carrying, not caring that they broke as they hit the floor. I had to get to the battleground, as fast as possible. My legs carried me as fast as my muscles would allow, and I flew down the many stairs. It's a wonder I didn't trip and break something. My drowsy head cleared as I tried to work out a plan. I could quickly call a bird and fly to Victory Road, arriving before N if I left from the main entrance. I doubted it would be open, but I had no other choice.

Panting, I reached the front doors, which thankfully weren't locked. Yet. Guards were barring the doors, keeping form any intruders.

"Stop!" I yelled, "I have to get out!"

One of the guards eyes me suspiciously.

"Why's milady hurrying out? Not towards the battle, I suppose?"

Of course. They wouldn't want N's precious sister to be carelessly killed when she could be kept safe in the castle, would they?

"I have to get out!" I repeated, not having the time or the mind to explain. I kept running, and it was clear to them I wasn't going to stop. Even if I was treated as a servant, I was still known as N's sister to these people. They had to listen to me.

The two opened the door, barely getting it open enough before I flew through. As soon as I got outside, I whistled. Hopefully there'd be a Pokémon left to fly me there. As I looked into the sky, I saw it was filled with all types of flying Pokémon. There was an unbelievable _cloud_ of them. I had no idea we even had this many soldiers. There were only birds in the sky, so thankfully N hadn't flown off with Zekrom yet.

Thought the setting sun, which I barely noticed, I could barely see a shape coming towards me. A Mandibuzz was flying towards me. I started to sigh, but figured it could work. It had to.

"Common, girl," I said as I got onto the Pokémon's back, "Let's go."

The Mandibuzz took off. The wind already forcing my hair to whip my face got stronger. I struggled to see, but couldn't. I could only pray the Pokémon understood where I wanted to go. I kept a strong grip around the Pokémon's neck, terrified at not being able to see. I could only hear the wind whistling past me, and feel the chill of the cooling air.

Before long, I was able to free one hand without the fear of falling off stopping me. I pulled my blowing hair out of my face, only to see the ground quickly approaching. Adrenalin started to pulse through my veins as the Pokémon showed no signs of slowing down. I tried to pull on its neck, trying to slow it down. It didn't, just seemed to wriggle under my grasp. So close to the ground I could have sworn we would have crashed, the Mandibuzz held out its wings and buffered the air, slowing us to a gentle stop.

I got off of the bird's back, dizzy. "Thanks…" I mumbled, trying to regain my footing as it flew away.

"I'm never doing that again," I said to myself, and pulled my hair from out of my face.

As if someone flipped a switch, the world around me was filled with chaos. Soldiers from both sides were running either direction, either trying to get in or keep others out. I was in the middle of a crossroads.

I looked around, trying to clear the confusion around me. The robed figures of Team Plasma were everywhere, and battles were spontaneously beginning as they ran into the rebels. Many were dressed in dirty, ragged clothing. With so many battles they fought in, I expected there wasn't much time to change clothing in the between them. A few of them, though, wore suits of armor, straight from Concordia's history books.

While most Team Plasma members were men, women also fought with their Pokémon. Even the leader of the rebels was a young woman, eighteen at the oldest. Her armor was a blindingly bright white, covering all of her body other than her head, with was covered instead with a pink and white cap. I took one look at her face, and my brain was instantly filled with confusion.

It was the same sensation when I looked into the mirror. The face I was seeing was that person's face, but looked strikingly similar to another's. Rumors had said Black's sister had fighting, but I knew better. Despite being female, she was Black's near identical twin, and she was the rebels' leader.

I looked out onto the field, and saw an empty space just large enough for Zekrom to land. I ran towards it, perpendicular to the running people. I constantly ran into them, being treated like a pinball. A roar of thunder echoed in my ears, and I knew any moment N and Zekrom were due to land.

I was almost to the spot I had selected, when a body hit me, full force. The collision made me lose my footing, and I landed onto my back—face-to-face with the person who had hit me. The rebel, I thought, was in armor tinted green, although it could have been the light. She also was not wearing her helmet, and I knew instantly who it was.

Leaf had taken revenge against the person responsible for her lover's death. Her eyes were bright with anger and pain, and I knew she was fighting for the man I killed. My heart burned at the memory, and I got up and ran as fast as possible. I had to get away, and stay away from the sin I had done…

Barely getting to the spot I had picked out, I waved my arms in the air towards the sky, not even bothering to see if Zekrom was even close. The sky had now turned black with night, and the dragon would blend in perfectly, even if its generator was on. My hair started to blow in my face again, but I waved my arms anyway, trying to ignore it.

I suddenly had another reason to stop N from fighting. If both Leaf and Black's mirror image were battling, N would surely see one, if not both of them fighting against his reign. When he would, I knew his heart would tear open, and there would be no going back. If N was upset now, and ordered people to be killed, I had a strong feeling he would be responsible for one last person's death. And that was his own.

"Anthea!" I finally heard N's voice, carried by the wind towards me. "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"

I felt the ground shutter as the dragon hit the ground in front of me. I lowered my arms, cleared my hair from my face, and yelled back, "So are you! You need to leave! Right now!"

"Leave? I just came!" It was getting hard to hear, as the voices of the soldiers were becoming louder.

"Exactly! Pokémon aren't the only ones in danger! I can't let you go any further! You'll get yourself hurt! Killed, even!"

"I have to go." I knew he would say that. "It's my duty, as king!"

"Duty?" I cursed. "Who cares about duty? Without you this kingdom is nothing. You can't risk everything like this! If you die, we've just lost the war without even fighting!"

I saw N sigh. I was getting to him. I had to make the final push, literally. I started to push N toward his black dragon, hoping it would take him home. Tears started to run from my eyes.

"Go! Leave! The battle is just about to begin!"

* * *

><p>Taking a deep breath, I tried my best to stay as calm as possible. To tell anyone news this grave, you had to act calm, or else all hell would break loose. I tried to remember how Concordia would act, as she always wore a calm face. I mimicked this posture as I entered N's room, trying to think how I would tell him.<p>

"N, I think you should see something." I said to the king sitting in his throne, playing with his favorite toy, his void cube. I tried not to clench my teeth, knowing this would be worse for N to handle than for I.

"Did… another battle start?" He asked, nervousness in his voice.

I nodded, not being able to say anything. It would be best to show him, I decided. I walked to one of the grand windows in the throne room, and motioned for N to come. He didn't at first, and I wished I didn't have to show him.

Finally he came, and I opened the curtain, revealing the sight of what at first looked like just another battle. In reality, it was the largest battle to occur during the war, twice the size as the first at Victory Road. Every single person that was able to defend the castle was out there, except for the sages. They normally didn't fight, anyways. I would expect all of the rebels would be fighting, also. The crowd trying to get into the castle was larger than the one that released their Pokémon nearly three years ago.

"Why… haven't I seen this?" N cried, and I could feel him tremble beside me. Soon he literally was crying, sobs racking his body.

"The battle just started, and the sages decided it would end just as quick. Concordia is trying to stop them, but… they're leaving." I was barely keeping my voice strong. "They have no hope left for Team Plasma, N." They weren't the only ones. This battle was in such a large scale, and so many people and Pokémon were being injured. I could tell Team Plasma couldn't hold them off forever. Sooner or later they would invade N's castle, and it would all be over with.

I heard footsteps behind me, and was almost surprised to see Concordia walking towards us.

"They're gone. All six of the sages have left." She calmly said, "This… may be the last battle."

I couldn't help but to look back to the chaos only a glass plane and a few stories away. It hurt so badly to watch them fight, and yet I couldn't look away. Concordia was right. So many lives were being lost. Whoever would win this battle would win the war. Team Plasma was definitely not winning the battle.

A familiar blue glow caught my eye, and through the mass of fighters I could just barely see Zekrom trying to swat at something. I couldn't tell what was happening at first, but then realized with a pang in my heart Zekrom was being attacked. This powerful creature of ideals, hundreds of years old, that helped originally build Unova, was being attacked by three knights. I let out a silent gasp.

"N…"

Through the corner of my eye I saw N look towards the battle, and a look of pure despair covered his face. He had lost all hope in Team Plasma, his dragon, and even his dream. It was one of the most terrible things I had ever seen. Something deep in my mind reminded me that Ghetsis seemed to _like_ these moments of loss. I couldn't believe anyone could even stand watching it.

As I watched the three warriors, I realized occasionally one would disappear and reappear in another spot. The way they did that, and how they moved together, I knew it was the Shadow Triad that was fighting Zekrom.

"I thought they were dead…" I said, confused. I had never seen them after Ghetsis was killed, and I assumed something had happened to them.

Concordia agreed with me, and said something about them being loyal, but I wasn't paying attention. I had grown attached to the dragon, and knew N must have been feeling a million times worse than I.

"The creature can't die, can it? It will just convert back into the Dark Stone if defeated, correct?" I had to ask. The Shadow Triad seemed to be giving it quite a beating.

Concordia sighed. "Nothing can live forever, Anthea. But, I'm sure it wouldn't disappear forever anytime soon."

N and I both gave a sigh of relief. To see that proud creature fall would be terrible.

Concordia continued to speak. "We should leave. Once Zekrom is finished, and most of the troops, the warrior in white is sure in invade, if they haven't already."

To my surprise, N quickly said he wasn't leaving. I was just about to argue when Concordia spoke in my place, her firm voice finally starting to waver.

"Natural, if you want to stay, I'll let you. What is that old saying? A captain always goes down with his ship?" She asked herself, "Well, I can understand that. You know if you stay, you will almost surely never leave…?"

"Yes."

"Alright…" Concordia's voice grew more solemn. "I wish you luck. And If I don't see you again… I'm proud to have called you my son. You've done well. Come on, Anthea. We better—"

My mind swirled. This was too much like in the Dark Ages, when kings were thrown out of power they would be executed. N wasn't much of a fighter, and without Zekrom he was defenseless. My mind gave me the image of him being captured, tortured, and finally beheaded. I couldn't stand it.

"I'm not going either." I said before I could stop myself.

"But, Anthea, you don't have to stay…" N's voice was almost half commanding, but I knew he wanted me and Concordia to stay, and for everything to go back to normal. I silently told him in my mind I would make that happen, if only it was possible.

Concordia tried to make me leave, also. "N's right. They'll probably leave you alone, but I wouldn't take any chances, angry people punish whoever they can get their hands on…"

"No, I'm staying." I said, knowing I had to. "Just like you said, a captain going down with her ship, except I'm only part of the crew."

"I can't stop you two," Concordia said, all control in keeping her voice steady gone. "So do whatever you wish. It's brave of you, Anthea, to stay, but…" She paused, clearly trying to hold back tears. "I'm leaving."

I couldn't look back at her as she left, and N silently wished for her not to go, but I only shut the blinds. If I looked back, I knew I would lose all of my strength, and like N, start to sob. I had to keep him safe, and to do so, I had to stay together. I set my final resolve, and firmly decided to keep N alive and smiling, no matter what it took. Even if it cost me my life.

~N's POV~

"This country is coming to an end," Anthea said. "Even if this is our punishment… I will still go against it."

She looked back at N, and started to take her sash off of her dress.

"Here, borrow my clothes," she said, "Wear them and escape quickly. It's okay, we're siblings. No one can tell the difference."

N opened his mouth, wanting to argue. The pieces of Anthea's plan were coming together in his head. He couldn't let her do this, he was the king, he had to take responsibility for whatever was coming… and yet, he couldn't. His mouth couldn't form any words to stop her. He wasn't strong enough.

The room shuttered as a deafening roar from the outside was called. N knew this call, the same one he had heard so many times. The Shadow Triad had finally defeated his dragon. He could see it in the pain his sister's eyes.

"We better hurry," she said, almost cheerful as she held her clothes in her arms, waiting for N to do the same.

Not having a choice, almost calmed by the look in Anthea's eyes, N swapped his shirt and pants for a dress, which seemed to fit him perfectly.

Anthea, who now was the 'king', went to sit in her throne.

"Well," she said, "Aren't you going to leave?"

N shook his head. His feet wouldn't move. Anthea stood up, and walked towards him.

"At least you shouldn't just stand there. Come on." She took him by the shoulders and led him to the throne, where it was large enough for both of them to sit. They stay there for a while, sounds coming from the lower levels. A door being rammed open. People yelling. Footsteps running through the halls, looking for the king.

N looked at Anthea, whose focus didn't move from the entrance to the throne room. Her face, which was so much like his own, was full of determination. His voice once again failed him, wanting to ask so many things. How could she stay so strong through all of this? N knew she would die. He would get away without a scratch, and yet he was the one sobbing like a baby.

His mouth finally let out a silent "Why?" At first N thought Anthea didn't hear him, as she didn't react. Then, as footsteps could be heard outside of the doorway, Anthea said one final thing to N.

"Please live on."

With those words, Anthea pushed N to the side wall, making him stumble and fall. As he sat up against the cold stone, the rebels entered the room.

The first to enter was Black. A female black, with the white armor and a sword in hand, ran into the room, Black's precious Samorott running beside her. Anger and triumph entered the female Black eyes as she slowed, and walked towards Anthea, who was now N.

The next was Leaf. Her eyes were just as determined as the female Black's, although she showed no happiness in the capture. Red splatter covered her armor, and no Pokémon were by her side.

The last rebel N recognized was Cheren, although he had no armor on. Six shiny electronic Poké Balls sat in his belt. Surely they were a rarity barely anyone had.

Two more entered the room, and N recognized neither of them. They all walked forward a few steps, but held back, except for the female Black. It was her job to capture the 'king', and take her to what should be N's fate. The female Black walked forward, right past N, who was invisible in the shadows.

Anthea stayed still, calmly staring into the female Black's eyes as she and the Samorott walked closer. Finally, inches from Anthea, the female Black stopped walking, and the Samorott took a hidden sword and held it to Anthea's neck. _Checkmate_, it seemed to say. The king had been captured.

"You insolent woman!" Anthea yelled, fake anger in her voice.

The rest of the rebels walked up to the captured Anthea, and Leaf just happened to glance in N's direction. He held his breath, and stayed still, other than the tears still streaming down his face, praying Leaf couldn't see him. Leaf made a double take, and stared where N sat for a few breathless moments.

"We're leaving," the female Black announced, and Leaf looked away from N. The two rebels N didn't recognize took Anthea by the arms, and led her out of the room.

A chilly silence hung in the empty room, and N broke down into loud sobs, and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor, where he lay for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><em>And so the time comes…<em>

N stood at the foot of the Celestial Tower, where the execution was about to take place. He clutched the cloak that covered his miss-matched clothing. He had put on the first things that fit in the castle, as Anthea still had his clothes. His face was covered with dried tears; tears he had to stop unless he wanted to attract attention in the crowd.

The crowd had a happy atmosphere; everyone was celebrating the independence they had won only a day ago. They would only, truly be free once the king was gone, along with his laws, because the only possible heir to the kingdom had fled. Or, that's what they were told. The real king was standing among them, alive and well. It was the heir who would be gone in only a few short moments.

_The celestial bell signals the end…_

Alder and Leaf stood on either side a tall and threatening guillotine. N had never seen one, and yet remembered it from a lesson Concordia had taught him. He solemnly sighed, wondering where his mother had ever gone.

The crowd around N had grown even larger, and even more cheerful. A laugh here was heard; plans of the future there. Poké Balls were being passed around like party favors, which would be able to be used to, once again, capture Pokémon once three o'clock passed.

Finally, moments before the bell was to be rung, Anthea was taken into the crude stage made moments before this occasion. She was dressed in the same clothing N normally wore, looking just like the king down to the smallest detail. Anthea looked up only for a moment, and N saw in her familiar eyes no regret.

_You ignore the citizen's stares…_

As Anthea was led to the guillotine, N's memories of her flashed before his eyes. When they were little, standing in front of this very tower, the earliest memory he had. Times when she had played with him, cheered him up, and even protected him. Her face when he had told her to kill Ethan. The wonderful moment of seeing her face after the task was done. When she shooed him form the battle at Victory Road. The very last thing he remembered was her confident face, telling him to live on. Then, the Celestial bell rang.

_And say my line._

"Ah, it's snack time."

Tear streamed down N's face as he called out Anthea's name, drowned out by the sound of the blade dropping.

_If we were ever reborn…_

"Arceus, forgive me… Anthea, please… Forgive me…"

_Let's play again._


	4. Regretful Wish

**Author's Note: **Here's part the last part, based off of Regret Message, which does not have a genderswapped version. This turned out very sappy, which I wasn't really happy about, but I think it's good anyways. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Pokemon and/or any of the music this is based off of, you would be reading this in a book, not on the internet ._.

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><p><strong>Regretful Wish<strong>

**Part 4 of the King of Evil Series**

"_Undella town? Concordia once told me a legend about the bay there. They say if you ever want a wish granted, write it on a piece of paper, and put it into a small bottle. Let it flow out into the sea, and someday, your wish will come true."_

Anthea had retold this myth to N only a little over year before his kingdom fell. They were to travel to the town to visit with the Riches family, which were one of the last to release their Pokémon. Their ownership of the creatures was unknown for long, as the town was so small. It was finally during the summer a vacationing Team Plasma grunt found them battling illegal trainers. They had defeated the grunt in a battle, including all backup who came to help. N finally decided to have a peaceful talk with them, as he did not want any more Pokémon to be hurt.

After asking Anthea to come with him, N was told the secret of the bay. He didn't believe this nonsense. How could sending a wish into the sea grant it? If so, surely everyone would have their wish.

And they would, if everyone knew about the myth, but little to none did. It was a very rare myth to stumble upon, and many, like N, would not believe in it anyways.

During their visit to the town, the night after they talked with the Riches family, Anthea suggested they stay the night in one of the open villas. Neither had spent much time there, and Anthea wanted to explore the beautiful scenery, and so N reluctantly agreed. He would rather go back home to his Pokémon friends, but part of him wanted to see the bay, also.

That night well after midnight, Anthea snuck out of the villa, to the ocean, with a single bottle in her hands. She had unknowingly awoken N, who after she left, watched her through the villa's window. With the beach easily seen though the light of the full moon, the villa had the perfect view of the bay.

Approaching the shore, Anthea held up the bottle to her chest, although N could not see what she was doing. After a few seconds of pensive posture, she knelt down. Placing the bottle in the water, Anthea stood, watching it, making sure it slowly went out towards the sea. Hours, it seemed, she waited, until she started to come back towards the villa.

N silently went back into the strange, soft object called a bed, not wanting Anthea to know he was watching her. If he would have waited any longer, she would have come into the villa before he was back in the bed, acting asleep. N strained to look through half-closed eyes, hoping it was too dark to tell he was still watching her.

Anthea hesitated before she went to her own bed, looking back at N before she did so. He could tell her eyes seemed to be studying him, as if trying to understand him. Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she slid back into her own bed. As her breathing became more rhythmic, N could tell she had quickly fallen asleep.

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><p>Exactly one year and a half after N's original trip to Undella Bay, he was back. When he saw Anthea release her wish into the ocean, N realized either she had believed in the myth, or she was desperate enough to try, even if she didn't. Now, N was very desperate for a wish. What he had done, he realized, could not be forgiven by a single prayer. It had to take all of the help he could find.<p>

Dropping his bottle into the bay, N stood up, looking down at it. It waded at the edge of the shore, not moving any farther towards the sea. He sighed, not wanting to disturb it. Too many things had been disturbed in his life. He knew better than to move it.

His focus was seized as he heard a bark. Looking to his right, N saw a solitary Spheal rolling about.

"Hey there, little guy," N said, watching its reaction as he spoke to it. The Spheal stopped and stared at him for a moment, surprised he would speak to him, and then started to roll towards the strange human.

"You seem lonely," N continued to talk, "Don't you have any friends?"

The Spheal tilted its body, as if cocking its head.

"Well, I'll be your friend."

Sitting down, N watched the bottle, which had finally started out towards the sea.

"Anthea!_" _

"_N?" A young girl, no older than eight, entered the room from which the call had come. "What's wrong—Oh!"_

_Little N was huddled in a corner, fear clouding his eyes. Not more than two yards away a fire blazed, while an excited Darumaka was running about the room. The creature was clearly upset; N had done something to provoke it, and now it was uncontrollably lighting the room ablaze._

"_Don't worry!" The girl called towards N, "I'll stop it!" Anthea started to chase the poor Darumaka around the room, not taking her own safety into precaution. N only stared at her, frozen in fright. The Darumaka was much faster than Anthea, but that did not stop her endeavor to stop its rampage._

_Within moments, Concordia entered the room. She had heard N's call, but was on another floor of the castle. In a worried rush she had gone to N's room, but not before Anthea took action._

"_Anthea! Get out of here, right now!" Concordia yelled, trying to get her daughter out of harm's way. _

"_You're going to get yourself killed!"_

N shook his head, clearing the memory from his brain. He let his focus drift back to the Spheal, who was rolling around, entertaining itself. He smiled at the carefree creature, envious, as it had nothing to regret.

"I used to be like you," He said to it, "So happy and relaxed."

The Spheal looked at him and barked.

"_Tim, burr!" A square of timber crashed into the ground, and splintered into pieces. In the garden, a raging Timburr ravaged the ground around it, a scar on its side that had never fully healed bursting open. In response, N, a few years older than before, cringed. This new addition to his room had also destroyed many of the objects inside, so it was sent to the garden. N, wanting to try to calm it with his new found voice, went with it._

"_N!" A voice yelled from the entrance of the garden, "What are you doing?" Anthea's pink hair bounced on her head as she ran to her foster brother, ignoring the Pokémon in a frenzy. _

_Not realizing tears had started to stream down his face, N ran to Anthea, needing protection. He wrapped his arms around her, sobbing in fear into her fluffy dress skirt. In return, Anthea protectively clutched him, shielding him form the Timburr as it continued to destroy the garden._

"Why?" N asked as he tried to rid his mind of yet another memory, "Why did she protect me so…?"

The Spheal acted as if N hadn't said a word.

"Why… why did she have to protect me... until the end?" A small tear fell from his eye onto his cheek, where it slid into the air and onto the ground.

"Its… not… fair…" One tear turned into two, and two turned into a shower of sorrow.

The Spheal made a quiet yip, as if feeling N's sorrow, and crying with him.

"Maybe," N said, looking to the Pokémon, "Maybe the legend is true. Maybe… my wish will come true."

"_Go ahead, Anthea! You know how you can help me!"_

"How could I have been so stupid…?"

"_The sooner Ethan is eliminated, the sooner my plan will unfold!"_

"It's all my fault! Anthea's dead, and it's all my fault!" N broke down, sobbing like he never had before, collapsing into the waves of the bay.

"Why couldn't I have just let Leaf go…?" He asked himself thought sobs, the full reality slapping in the face like a flailing Magikarp.

"It's all my fault!" He sobbed, his voice growing into a scream. "It's all my fault! It's all my fault!"

The Spheal rolled up to him, looking at him with a curious tilt.

"I can't do anything anymore!" N yelled at the Pokémon, "I can't even understand you!" The Spheal, frightened, rolled away.

"I can't see anything! I can't understand anything! Ever since I earned my rule… Oh, Arceus, what have I done?"

Nothing responded to his call. He half expected Anthea to come to his rescue, but he knew that was impossible. Anthea was gone, and it was all his fault…

N looked to the sea, where the bottle had progressively traveled to the edge of the horizon, and it silently disappeared.

_I'm sorry._

The sky barley started to brighten, and a Wingull flew somewhere overhead, calling out the morning signal.

_I'm sorry._

Where the bottle disappeared, a small sliver of light rose over the bay.

_I'm sorry._

Slowly, the sun rose above Undella Bay, bringing a message with it.

_I'm sorry._

N stopped and stood up, something faint taking his attention.

"Could it…?"

A flash of light blinded N, the world before him disappearing. In its place, an image started to form, too blurry to make out at first. Then, as it became clearer, N's heart nearly stopped.

_Anthea was there, in that place, a smile lighting up her face. She was laughing, and she looked as if she was the happiest person in the world. The world around her was white, making everything bright and hard to see. Next to her was himself, also laughing and smiling. The world around them was completely peaceful, a place only known in dreams. _

_N's first vision since the day he defeated Black was an image of forgiveness. Arceus, and more importantly, Anthea, had forgiven his sins. And one day, long from now, brother and sister would be together once again. It certainly was a wish granted._

_The End_


End file.
